Microbubble-probe WGM resonators enable displacement measurements with high spatial resolution.

A microbubble-probe whispering gallery mode resonator with high displacement resolution and spatial resolution for displacement sensing is proposed. The resonator consists of an air bubble and a probe. The probe has a diameter of ∼5 µm that grants micron-level spatial resolution. Fabricated by a CO laser machining platform, a universal quality factor of over 10 is achieved. In displacement sensing, the sensor exhibits a displacement resolution of 74.83 pm and an estimated measurement span of 29.44 µm. As the first microbubble probe resonator for displacement measurement, the component shows advantages in performance, and exhibits a potential in sensing with high precision.